Games you are currently playing - Part 7

[Jovavic]

Phoenix Point definitely had some of the old Xcom feel since it's the same developer and it had some good ideas like the free aim but I dunno, just couldn't put my 18 bucks down on it right now, it felt "flat" as you said. I did get Mutant Year Zero a few months back and tried it for a couple hours and it really didn't grab me so I moved on, but maybe I'll circle back to it shortly.

 

[93LEAFS]

Got Final Fantasy VII Remake with a PS Plus a while back and eventually it included the PS5 upgrade, so I finally got around to that while I wait for Jedi Survivor to be patched for PC (or eventually give in and buy it for PS5). I've never really gotten into FF but I wanted to test this or XV out to see how much I enjoy them since it seems Final Fantasy XVI could be one of Sony's big must play exclusives this year. About 4 hours deep and absolutely loving it right now. I just finished Horizon: Forbidden West-Burning Shores DLC, and that and Ratchet and Clank:Rift Apart are probably the best looking next gen games I've seen so far (I play performance, but will check it out in graphics for a peak on a 4K display) and I will say FF VII remake holds its own among those titles (all have different art styles, but all look amazing).

 

[Frankie Spankie]

I also hated Phoenix Point. It was a lot of minor things that just built up making it no fun. The worst was that they didn't show hit chance percentage, they just showed a color bar ranging from white to red and you had to determine your chance based on the shade of red. It's so dumb.

Agreed on Mutant Year Zero though, that game is really fun and plays very similar to XCOM. I'd also recommend Wasteland 2 & 3. They're a lot longer than Mutant Year Zero with more involved stories but the stories are awesome. It's also a lot of fun making your party and gearing them up.

 

[flyersnorth]

Releases in two weeks.

 

[flyersnorth]

I also hated Phoenix Point. It was a lot of minor things that just built up making it no fun. The worst was that they didn't show hit chance percentage, they just showed a color bar ranging from white to red and you had to determine your chance based on the shade of red. It's so dumb.

Agreed on Mutant Year Zero though, that game is really fun and plays very similar to XCOM. I'd also recommend Wasteland 2 & 3. They're a lot longer than Mutant Year Zero with more involved stories but the stories are awesome. It's also a lot of fun making your party and gearing them up.

Yeah, it's a delicate balancing act. I didn't like Marvel's Midnight Suns at all. Can't exactly pinpoint why, but a big part of it is having to run around the Abbey grounds and make friends with everyone. I'd much rather have the abstracted Avenger-type screen to make high-level strategic decisions than making small talk with insecure superheroes. I usually enjoy deck-building games, but I think the presentation and execution just didn't work for me in this one.

The biggest drawback for me is the lack of permadeath, and building your individual heroes up from nothing. In Midnight Suns, they're fully-baked powerhouses that can't die. Where's the fun in that?

Loved Wasteland 2 & 3. Hope they make another! Showgunners looks pretty fun.

One game I am curious about is Age of Wonders 4. I've never played an Age of Wonders. It looks like a weird cross between Civ and Divinity and XCOM. Ratings are good for the latest release... have you played it?

 

[Frankie Spankie]

I haven't even heard of Showgunners. It does look like it could be fun. I like the theme and the environmental traps that you can play with. I just wishlisted it.

I didn't really look into Age of Wonders 4. Truth be told I ran into it, saw it was a 4X game, and immediately skipped it. They're not my style. The fact that they have tactical combat like Divinity does make me interested though. I'll wishlist it as well but I don't know when I'll ever buy it.

I bought Atom RPG the other day because it was on sale. I'm almost done with Resident Evil 4. I'm not sure if I'm going to start Atom RPG or Cyberpunk 2077 after but I definitely plan on playing those two back to back. I've heard great things about Atom RPG though.

 

[542365]

Trying this stupid gacha game Honkai: Star Rail. I hate this genre for its manipulative nature, but the game itself is undeniably very solid. The turn based combat is engaging, it’s exciting trying new characters, the story is solid, all the team combinations are fun etc. I just wish it wasn’t this gacha cash grab crap, though admittedly it’s been pretty generous with resources thus far.

 

[flyersnorth]

I haven't even heard of Showgunners. It does look like it could be fun. I like the theme and the environmental traps that you can play with. I just wishlisted it.

I didn't really look into Age of Wonders 4. Truth be told I ran into it, saw it was a 4X game, and immediately skipped it. They're not my style. The fact that they have tactical combat like Divinity does make me interested though. I'll wishlist it as well but I don't know when I'll ever buy it.

I bought Atom RPG the other day because it was on sale. I'm almost done with Resident Evil 4. I'm not sure if I'm going to start Atom RPG or Cyberpunk 2077 after but I definitely plan on playing those two back to back. I've heard great things about Atom RPG though.

I keep forgetting about Atom RPG. I just wishlisted it - it does seem really fun. I did finish CP2077 though, and really enjoyed it. I think I sunk around 70-80 hours into it.

I'm the same with 4X games. Love the idea, but usually don't enjoy playing them.

Another turn-based tactics game coming out soon is The Lamplighters League. And if you've never played Gloomhaven, that is also pretty fun. It's based on a board game, so the mechanics are bit more complex to get into at first, but it has a lot of variety and interesting tactics.

 

[Dubi Doo]

I'm playing Spiderman Remastered on the PS5, and damn is it good. I tend to lose interest in these types of games pretty quickly, but this one may hold my attention for a while longer. One of the best games I've played in a long time thus far, and I assume it'll only get better as I advance.

Also, a nice perk is my 3.5-year-old loves Spiderman, so he loves watching me play, which means more playing time for me!

 

[Blueblood9]

Just started Crusader Kings III.

What have I gotten into

i love most of the paradox grand strat games. EU3 is my fav but CK3 is a close second. The game gets real fun if you play with some friends.

 

[Andrei79]

Playing D2R for the first time. I played Diablo 1 younger, but only just played a little bit of 2. I thought it was ok in act 1 and wasn't sure about my purchase. Now that I'm in act 4 I love the game. I'm not into ARPGs but it's hard to believe the game had this much depth years ago. Great game and it's on regularly on sale under 20$. This is how a remaster should be, you can even play the original, but the graphical upgrades are well worth it.

 

[Hierso]

Symphony of War - The Nephilim Saga

It's pretty much Ogre Battle. You build an army & upgrade said army while not having control over it (outside of moving it). It's 20£/€/$ on steam and while i don't think it's worth that much i don't regret getting it now (a 35% off-deal). My only complaint so far is that if your in a map with a CPU ally it might take some time for the computer to duke it out against the computer because of all the moving pieces on the map.

All in all a fun game.

 

[The Mars Volchenkov]

I restarted Red Dead 2 just because I haven’t played it since beating it at launch.

Game is absolutely gorgeous, even for being nearly 5 years old.

 

[Jovavic]

Yakuza 0, I'm past where I stopped for some reason the last time I played it, into Chapter 10. I like playing as Majima more than Kiryu, both in the fighting and the story. I'm dabbling in both of the big mini games but I don't know if I want to use the limited time I have for gaming in something that ultimately means very little in the game, other than getting trophies. Once I'm finished with 0 I'm going to try 5, that should keep me busy till FFXVI comes out. I'll be busy moving in three weeks, guaranteed that a FFXVI gameplay demo comes out that week lol

 

[flyersnorth]

Just started Pathfinder: Wrath of the Righteous.

May have been a mistake to start it so close to summer - seems like a time vortex!

 

[Rodgerwilco]

I restarted Red Dead 2 just because I haven’t played it since beating it at launch.

Game is absolutely gorgeous, even for being nearly 5 years old.

I've played this game a TON since launch and that's the one thing that strikes me every time. Especially when you're in the prairies and have the rolling hills with a mountain backdrop. It's just so damn good looking.

Plus the sounds of nature is awesome, it feels very alive, not just a woodsy scene with some 'nature sounds' piped in.

What a masterpiece.

 

[Andrei79]

Just started Pathfinder: Wrath of the Righteous.

May have been a mistake to start it so close to summer - seems like a time vortex!

It is. My advice, start in fall. This game took over too much of my life in January. Thank god I love skiing, because I think I would have been a shut in. It's a 100-150hr game.

 

[flyersnorth]

It is. My advice, start in fall. This game took over too much of my life in January. Thank god I love skiing, because I think I would have been a shut in. It's a 100-150hr game.

i went for a crossblooded sorcerer build. Only a few hours in and really enjoying the vibe and combat.

 

[LEAFANFORLIFE23]

Just finished Jedi: Fallen order, it's been in my backlog since 2019 and with Jedi: survivor out now was the time.

This is the star wars game I wanted I loved it I can't wait to get my hands on Jedi: survivor.

Why did I let it sit there?

 

[Lilou]

Is NHL 23 worth a buy. I see there is a PSN sale. I have NHL 22 and mostly play offline modes. I figured I'd get 23 just for the offline modes and updated rosters.

 

[flyersnorth]

It is. My advice, start in fall. This game took over too much of my life in January. Thank god I love skiing, because I think I would have been a shut in. It's a 100-150hr game.

A few things I'm finding after 10 or so hours...

1. Leveling up is both overwhelming and underwhelming. Like there are sooooo many options to choose from, yet it feels like I'm not really getting anything new to try out (only level 3 so obviously it will take some time).

2. Do characters get more mobility as time goes on? In Divinity, I really liked that every class had strong mobility options (Tactical Retreat, Bull Rush, Phoenix Dive, Cloak & Dagger, Nether Swap, Teleport, etc). Are there similar abilities and skills in Pathfinder?

Anyway, finished up the Shield Maze and exploring the town now.

 

[Andrei79]

A few things I'm finding after 10 or so hours...

1. Leveling up is both overwhelming and underwhelming. Like there are sooooo many options to choose from, yet it feels like I'm not really getting anything new to try out (only level 3 so obviously it will take some time).

2. Do characters get more mobility as time goes on? In Divinity, I really liked that every class had strong mobility options (Tactical Retreat, Bull Rush, Phoenix Dive, Cloak & Dagger, Nether Swap, Teleport, etc). Are there similar abilities and skills in Pathfinder?

Anyway, finished up the Shield Maze and exploring the town now.

Get pets and ride them, they're very mobile. Pets are OP in this game. 4/6 of my squad had them.

 

[pistolpete11]

I started Prey. Do you get...like....real guns at some point? I'm not very far into it, but so far I have a wrench (which is miserable to fight with) and a gun that turns the enemies into a sort of stone which you then have to go hit with your wrench (which is marginally better).

The atmosphere is intriguing (even if things feel kind of dated) and I've heard good things, but if the gameplay doesn't get better, it's probably not for me.

 

[Frankie Spankie]

I recall mainly running a heavily upgraded silenced pistol and stealthing my way through. The problem with that is late game is very punishing if you put a lot of resources into the pistol with how big some of the enemies are that you really can't stealth around. I do remember other guns but didn't use them enough to remember them well. I felt a bit cheated in the end with how punishing it was to a stealth build late game though.

 

[542365]

Trying to pass the time until Diablo 4 releases so I started screwing around with the Early Access version of Tape to Tape, a 2D hockey rogue like. $20 and it’s pretty damn fun and can be challenging. Can’t wait to see what they add in the future.